


Legends

by CartoonJessie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: ATLA AU with Star Wars characters, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Zutara's Blue Spirit/Painted Lady, Kylo's a Firebender - Rey a Waterbender, Pre-Avatar: The Last Airbender, beta-read by Carol - thanks so much!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-29 17:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15733875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonJessie/pseuds/CartoonJessie
Summary: Eager to help the earthbenders in their war effort without giving her identity away, one waterbender takes on the guise of an ancient Legend. Little does she know that a certain firebender has a very similar idea to hers, and they're about to meet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Written for the Writing Den's Prompt Challenge] - [Betaread by darthcarol] - [Very short chapters - you've been warned] - [Completely finished already - 12 small chapters which will all be posted this week] - [Takes place in the middle of the hundred-year war against the Fire Nation] - [If you enjoy it, check my other Reylo fics too!]

War had raged for decades on the island of Takodana, to the western shore of the Earth Kingdom. Ever since the war with the Fire Nation had started, the Earth Kingdom had relied heavily on the Takodana mines to provide them with copper, tin, iron and various other valuable ores.

For those looking for work, Takodana did not disappoint. For those looking to hide, Takodana was even better, even if life wasn’t easy there.

The thousands of workers on the island didn’t live glamorous lives. In fact, Rey lived on top of the house of a family of eleven – her own ‘house’ nothing but a sort of shed that protected her from the rain and gave her a place to sleep. She didn’t know the people who lived underneath her – and she was fine with that. Naturally, she didn’t spend an awful lot of time there, and after a long day of working in the mine, she’d head into the town center for some food, and for stories.

On the marketplace square, an old man always entertained the crowd – mostly consisting of workers that had grabbed a bite to eat and craved stories of something else than the dark, dull mines. His stories were of Avatars, of mystic figures, of the extinct airbenders, and of Earth Kingdom heroes who had once saved their lands. Rey especially loved the stories he told of the Water Goddess – a ghost-like figure that had saved Takodana from pirates, many centuries ago.

It was especially intriguing to her because she recognized waterbender elements in the powers of the Water Goddess. The deity had always worked in a cloud of mist, had frozen her enemies in place and had flood and swallowed the pirate ships whole.

As much fun as it was to imagine a deity saving the town – it was even better when she considered that a powerful waterbender could do the same.

And it just so happened that she was a waterbender too.

Nobody knew. She had run from her slaver a year ago, and he knew perfectly well what she was capable of. The last thing she wanted was for word to spread that there was a waterbender on Takodana – Unkar would find her in a second. However, as long as no one knew it was her, she was safe. And so she played with the idea of taking on the guise of the Water Goddess to do some good.

She’d already started practicing – in a tiny cavern behind a waterfall, near a stream in a more deserted part of the island. She was getting good at freezing the water and bending it to her will. She knew she needed to be ready for anything. Unfortunately, the Fire Nation had already tried to attack Takodana a few times before, and she wanted to be ready the next time it happened.

As Lor San asked what story people wanted to hear, Rey immediately said: “I want to hear more about the Water Goddess!”

“No, we heard that story two weeks ago already!” an annoyed voice protested. “Tell us about the Fire Dragon!”

The young, dark-haired man that had so rudely crushed her demand was no complete stranger to her. She knew he worked in one of the other mines close to hers, and he was always there for Lor San’s stories too. Sometimes he sat in front of her, and made it impossible for her to see anything. She knew that he couldn’t help it that he was half a giant, but she still hated his guts for it.

He was like her, like so many of them, alone and bored after work, but apparently not in the mood for stories about the Water Goddess.

As Lor San looked from Rey to the tall young man, he raised an eyebrow. When a little girl cutely cried: “Tell us about the Airbenders!” – that was what Lor San went with.

Rey saw how the guy was gazing at her in frustration, and she shot a mean gaze back. She consoled herself with the thought that he didn’t get to hear his story about that stupid Fire Dragon either.

Though a story of the Water Goddess might have inspired her for an outfit she’d been working on, she figured she knew enough to go for it. 


	2. Chapter 2

It took another month for her outfit to be ready. Though the basis for it was a beige leather armor, she’d covered it with a white cloth, and wore a white, tattered and sleeveless dress over it. 

She had considered long sleeves, but they got in the way of her waterbending. Instead, she had wrapped her arms in white strips of cloth.

White shoes had been tricky to get – and she’d stolen them from the marketplace. They were a size too big for her, but with thick socks, they were a perfect fit. She usually didn’t steal, and she would repay the shoemaker one day – once she made some decent money.

Rey intended to finally try it on that evening – but she needed food and rest before that. The work at the mine had tired her out, and as she headed to the marketplace, she was starving and in the mood for some baked mushrooms with rice and steamed elephant koi.

She was exhausted, her loose hair was messy, hanging inelegantly in front of her eyes, and preventing her from seeing who stood in front of her until it was her time to order. While she paid the cook, she realized how his gaze didn’t leave her, a mix of curiosity and disdain clear on his face.

She’d seen his face plenty of times around Lor San’s spot in the corner of the market, and she had glared at him plenty of times too, but she’d never said anything to him – or wanted to. His dark clothes were covered in soot from the coal mine he worked in, and he even had some of it on his face while he looked at her.

As she returned his gaze, he opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

“Don’t.”

He frowned.

“I don’t want to know. I’m exhausted, and not in the mood.”

She realized she sounded heartless, but she honestly didn’t care. He closed his mouth again and waited for his dish to be done. Or at least he did that for a little while.

“No wonder you don’t have any friends,” he muttered, and her gaze couldn’t have been fouler if she’d tried.

“Says the man who has no friends,” she replied sarcastically.

Luckily, the cook had just finished their two meals. As he offered them their dishes, they both snapped it from the poor man’s hand in an instant. Simultaneously, they turned around and headed in the same direction – to Lor San’s usual spot, where dozens of people had already gathered. They sat as far away from each other as possible, but she did notice how their gazes crossed more often than she was comfortable with.

She wasn’t certain why he made her stomach so upset.


	3. Chapter 3

That evening, it was finally time for her first test. So far she’d remained hidden behind the waterfall whenever she had worked on her outfit or tried it on. But now, she’d finally leave her hideout behind, and go practice at the coast. Tomorrow was her day off, so she could spend all night practicing.

Rey put her hair up in three buns, which she hid underneath a white hood. Inspired by artworks of the avatar Kyoshi, she painted her face white, darkened her eyebrows with black paint, accentuated her eyes with eyeliner and painted her lips in a crimson color. She also dusted some blush on her cheeks, to bring back life to her face. She was trying to be a goddess – not a ghost.

Lastly, she wrapped the white cloth around her arms and secured it tightly. She split the waterfall slightly and jumped through, not diving into the water, but letting it rise to meet her so she could ride it towards the ocean.

It wasn’t hard for her to do it, but she was out of shape and panting by the time she arrived at the coast.

When she’d still been a slave aboard one of Unkar’s ships, Rey had waterbent every moment she’d spent alone – often with smaller quantities of water than she had now. The idea of having an entire ocean of water at her disposal was thrilling – and she wondered if it would be possible to create a wave that was capable of engulfing fire nation ships. That sounded like something only an Avatar could do.

Either way, she had a goal set out for her, and as she neared the beach, she hid in the brush beside the water. She focused on the ocean, and let a mist spread towards her. Once it was thick enough to hide her, she stepped in and headed towards the water.

No one would be able to see her this way, and she’d have the privacy she needed to practice on the waves. She only had to remember to keep the mist up.

For an hour, all went well – she commanded the waves in any shape she could think of – sent spikes of ice into the water – froze the ocean, then unfroze it again. It was a great workout, and she was so absorbed by it that she didn’t realize she was being watched – very closely.

As she made an elegant movement with her arms, which required her to move her entire torso, she suddenly saw a dark figure a few steps away from her, looking at her through the mist.

For a moment she forgot to breathe, and her eyes were wide as she saw the dark figure – with a face like a dragon’s – standing there like a nightmare – giant and looming and unmoving.

When he suddenly stepped towards her, it was so sudden that she gasped, and in her terror, she lashed out at him – an icy whip smashing him in the face – causing the dragon to cry out while she ran from it.

With a racing heart, Rey trusted the mist to cover her until she was in the forest again, but once there, she raced to the waterfall – no longer summoning the mist to protect her. It would only make it easier for the spirit – or whatever it had been – to follow her. She had to get out before it could follow her.

Her heart was still hammering loudly by the time she returned to the cave. Rey was terrified that whatever she had seen, would come for her – and she couldn’t sleep as she sat against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs as she considered for a moment that Lor San’s stories were true. Perhaps there was a terrifying Fire Dragon – a mighty spirit – that was waiting for a chance to attack the Earth Kingdom. And perhaps his presence had been a warning that this idea that she could help in this war was one that she had to give up.

She almost did.


	4. Chapter 4

Her hideout hadn’t been found, but she hadn’t slept much and had been rather sleepy when she’d returned to work two days later. Rey was thinking of destroying her outfit. It had been a childish idea. What had she even been thinking? She couldn’t be a hero. She couldn’t risk it all.

The alternative, remaining a worker in the mines and suffering through Fire Nation attacks, was a very depressing one though.

She was in a horrible mood by the time she grabbed her dinner for the evening and went to Lor San’s corner on the marketplace, and Rey didn’t look around at all, not until she heard Lor San ask: “What happened to you?”

It wasn’t directed at her, but at the tall, dark-haired asshole that worked at the coal mine. He grumbled: “Got into a fight…” before he walked past her and sat down a few spots away from her.

Her eyes widened as she now saw the large scar that ran down the right side of his face. The flesh was still trying to heal – but she couldn’t help but wonder if the spirit she’d seen hadn’t been a spirit at all.

Could it have been _him_? And could her ice whip have caused that terrible injury?

She didn’t even listen to Lor San as he told a story about the last generation of Airbenders, and once the story was over, people headed home, but Rey had other plans. Instead, she started following the stranger through the streets as he made his way to wherever he lived.

Could he be the Fire Dragon? It wasn’t really surprising now that she considered it. After all, it was the story that he had wanted to hear Lor San tell so many weeks earlier. And it explained the mask she had seen – and now that she thought back about it – she hadn’t really seen his body. The dark clothes and the mist had hid it from her view, and he had looked more ethereal than he actually had been. But he’d been tall – he _was_ tall – it could definitely have been him!

As he turned a corner into a small alleyway, away from the crowds, she was quite a few steps behind him. She looked behind her, making sure no one saw her follow him, before she ducked into the alleyway as well, bumping straight into him.

His hand was around her wrist in an instant, and he angrily asked: “Are you following me?!”

She gasped and quickly shook her head, her heartbeat once more unwilling to slow down in his presence.

“No! No, of course not!” she replied.

“You’re a liar.” He sneered at her before he let her go, gesturing to the dead-end alley they were now in. “What else would you come here for? There’s nothing here.”

She gulped. Somehow he had noticed her following him – and he had lured her right into his trap.

“My bad,” she said sheepishly, her hands trembling before she took a step back. “Sorry!”

As she ran for it, she heard him shout after her: “What are you trying to hide?”


	5. Chapter 5

She didn’t look back until she was in the miserable shack that she called home. She didn’t even have a proper door, just a curtain, and as Rey lay down on her bedroll, she covered her face with her hands.

What was he even thinking of her now?

She couldn’t go to the market anymore – had to avoid seeing him. Had she given away already that she was the Water Goddess – even if she didn’t feel worthy of that name whatsoever?

One thing was certain – she didn’t have to fear a spirit’s vengeance on her. He was just a man – one whom she’d probably scared half to death by lashing out at him with her ice whip. Was he going to turn her in? Would he tell everyone she was a waterbender? Would she go to prison?

Determined to dodge him, she changed her schedule around it. From now on, she wouldn’t go to the market after work anymore – instead, she would go in the morning. Attending Lor San’s wonderful stories was out of the question too, but the time she’d usually spent on listening to his tales could be spent on practice in her cave behind the waterfall.

There were thousands of people on Takodana – and if she wanted to avoid someone, she most certainly could.

It wasn’t hard either, she decided five days later. She hadn’t seen him around anymore, and as she made her hike towards the waterfall after work, she was even starting to feel at peace again. Maybe she had nothing to fear after all.

She looked around suspiciously as she approached the waterfall, always careful not to be seen by any other islanders, before she slid the water to the side and rushed into the cave.

She froze when she saw _him_ stand there – the Fire Dragon.

His mask had been broken and glued together again, and he was dressed completely in black. Also – due to him being unable to waterbend the water that covered the cave out of the way – he was rather wet.

As she stood there – her disguise on the floor next to him – she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

When he took off his mask though, she finally got the confirmation she hadn’t needed anymore. It was _him_. And to her confusion, he was smiling.

He sounded in awe as he suddenly whispered: “I didn’t know it was you!”

She frowned, wondering if he was dense then, and also not fully understanding how she’d given her location away.

“I mean – I started having a suspicion when you followed me into that alleyway. And then when you didn’t come to Lor San anymore, I figured that you were trying to hide even more from me. I followed you after work yesterday and lost your trace around the waterfall. I didn’t see you enter it – or maybe I hadn’t expected you to. But I beat you to it today!” He sounded very smug about that and was gloating.

She honestly didn’t know what to say to him. What was his intent even? She was suspicious – and a little afraid. What if he told other people about her? 

“So, you’re a waterbender?” he asked when he noticed how silenced she was, and he could see from her gaze how much she hated that question.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of!” he assured her warmly. “I won’t tell anyone!”

It were those words that were able to untie the nervous knot in her stomach, and she nodded slowly. “Thank you. Please don’t.”

Seeing how upset she seemed to be by the idea of anyone spilling her secret, he sat down on his knees, and he indicated the ground opposite him, and she sat down as well, her hands folded in her lap as she admitted: “I don’t want people to know I’m a waterbender.”

Unwilling to see her upset, he immediately nodded. “I understand. I was surprised to realize there was a waterbender on the island too. For a moment I really thought you were the Water Goddess.”

She felt strangely guilty as she listened to his kind tone and looked into his understanding eyes. They seemed so much warmer than ever before. And the way she had lashed out at him with her water whip was undeserved.

“I’m sorry for giving you that scar,” she said softly, feeling horrible for what she had done. “I was terrified when I saw you.”

He chuckled. “I have that effect on people. But it’s all right.” He touched the scar lightly with his fingertips and even grinned. “It’s kind of badass.”

She was able to smile again and didn’t realize how long it had been since she had truly smiled at someone.

“Why are you dressing up as the Fire Dragon?” she asked curiously.

He shrugged. “Same reason you’re dressing up as the Water Goddess? To fight back from future invaders without repercussions?”

That was her main reason too, and she nodded in agreement.

“It’s not something I’ve been doing for a long time,” he admitted. “Just the past month or so.”

She smiled. “Same.”

“Great minds think alike,” he continued eagerly. “We should go out sometimes!”

As he noticed how her happy expression shifted into a wary one, he quickly said: “To practice! Not to… _date_ or something.” He laughed nervously, adding quickly: “I don’t love you. If that’s what you’re thinking.”

She was amused by his awkward expression – he almost seemed to cringe at his own words, and she rather enjoyed seeing the otherwise stoic young man as a complete mess of awkwardness and emotions.

“You don’t say much, do you?” he asked, chuckling nervously. “I’m sorry if I speak too much. I’m just…” He didn’t recognize the feeling straight away and paused. “… _happy_ , I guess.”

Her warm smile was like a balm to his aching soul. For once, he didn’t feel completely alone on Takodana.

“I understand,” she replied, calming his anxious mind. “It would be nice to practice together, I think. Maybe… later tonight?”

“Yes!” He sounded very eager, and as she got up again, he did as well. He figured that she wanted some alone time now.

Wanting him to leave, for now, she waterbent some of the water to the side so he could leave without getting soaked, and as he looked at the graceful movement of her hand, he whispered: “That is amazing!”

It was pretty obvious that he’d never seen a waterbender before.

She couldn’t help but blush, and he waved dorkily before he left again, leaving her to her own wild thoughts – and to hordes of butterflies in her stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

He arrived later than she had expected. It was nearly midnight by the time she heard a strange whistle from beyond the waterfall. As she emerged from her hiding place, she found him waiting for her, his mask and hood on, just as she had painted her face and put on the disguise.

“It’s a good outfit,” Kylo admitted, unable to take his eyes off her. “You look so different this way.”

“In what way?” she asked, wondering where she had found the courage to ask such a thing.

“Like a true goddess – instead of a street rat.”

It was the first time that she was glad that her paint covered her blush that evening.

His voice sounded a little muffled behind the mask, but that was all right. It was better if no one overheard them anyways.

As he started walking towards the beach, Rey frowned as she followed him, seeing a black cape billow behind him.

“Is that a cape?” she asked – not remembering that he had worn that the first time she’d seen him in this outfit. It was a fancy one too.

“Yes! It’s new!” He was very eager to show her and whirled around, but she just frowned.

“I don’t know – I thought you wore something tattered around your shoulders last time, almost like it had been burned – that looked better. A dragon wouldn’t wear a fancy cape.”

His expression fell, but she couldn’t see that behind his mask.

“I guess I’ll use the cowl again next time,” he agreed. “By the way, I never asked, but… what’s your name?”

She hesitated. “Are you sure it’s wise to exchange names?”

“I would really like to get to know you better – not just the Water Goddess.”

It flattered her, and she was willing to indulge him.

“Rey,” she said.

“I’m Kylo,” he replied.

Grateful that he couldn’t see her blush again beneath the layers of white paint, she asked: “Is it wise to go and practice on the beach?”

“Actually, I wanted to show you _my_ hideout,” he said mysteriously. “You’ll see that there is quite a bit of room for practice there. More than in your cave.”

Intrigued, she followed him. They did head to the beach but walked further than where she had practiced last time - until the sand beneath their feet turned to rocks - and they approached more caves that were hidden in the cliffs on the northern side of the island. As he walked over the slippery rocks, she followed him, climbing up here and there until they reached a small opening in the rocks – while he led the way inside, she realized it was very dark, and she could hardly see anything.

He thought the same and suddenly snapped his fingers, kindling a small fire above his hand, and thus illuminating their narrow entrance.

Her mouth dropped, but he couldn’t see that, and she hesitated for a moment.

Sure, she had known his guise was the Fire Dragon, but she hadn’t expected him to be a firebender! No wonder that he had said he wouldn’t tell anyone she was a waterbender if his secret was a hundred times worse!

Too curious not to follow him, she hurried after him, until they cleared the narrow entrance and entered a large cavern, where he lit a few torches that hung against the rocky walls.

Rey looked around her in amazement. The place was big, all right, large enough to practice, and there were even a few puddles of water here and there. Wondering why there was water, he added: “There is high tide twice a day – though the cavern doesn’t flood, the water does enter here.”

She looked at his mask, realizing that she wanted to see his face, and it was like he read her mind, for he took it off.

“No one ever comes here, especially not in the middle of the night,” he said as he walked further into the cavern, taking off his cape as well. He walked onto an elevated part of his hideout where Rey noticed a bedroll that wasn’t so different from hers.

“You live here?” she wondered.

He nodded as he tossed the mask and cape on the bedroll, then turned back to her.

“Yes, I have for the past three years.”

“How come you’re a firebender?” she asked curiously. “Why aren’t you in the Fire Nation?”

“I should ask you why you’re not in one of the Water Tribes,” he deflected her question.

She didn’t appreciate that he wouldn’t answer her question and replied immediately: “Because I never was. I was a slave, and I escaped, and now I’m here. My former slaver would expect me to head to one of the Water Tribes to hide there – hence why I’m here and not there. As long as no one knows I’m a waterbender, I’m safe. He won’t ever come here then. Now give me a reason to trust you.”

He figured that her suspicion wasn’t ungrounded. After all, to the rest of the world, all firebenders were scum. He raised his hands in surrender.

“I know that nobody has a good reason to trust anyone from the Fire Nation, but I had to run from home because my family was arrested for being traitors to the Fire Lord. If I had remained there, I would be in prison now.”

She could empathize with that, and her voice was softer again as she asked: “What did your family do?”

“They spoke out against the war, and quite loudly too. My mother is of royal blood – a descendant of one of the previous Fire Lords, and though we were unlikely to ever be next in line for the throne, Fire Lord Azulon still felt threatened. Also because my mom never knew how to shut up and spoke out against the war.”

He sounded frustrated, and she recognized it. She wanted to ask what had happened to his mother but hardly dared to.

“I don’t even know if they’re dead or not. I came here, knowing there would be work, took the name Kylo as my own, and have tried to pretend I don’t know how to bend anything.”

He sounded tired more than anything, and Rey could understand that. She wasn’t the only one trying to hide on Takodana, and it moved her to realize she wasn’t truly alone.

“If you say that you took the name Kylo… then what _is_ your real name?”

He hesitated. He had thought he’d left his old name and his past behind for good. But as she stood there so calmly – no threat coming from her whatsoever – he dared to trust her.

“Ben.”

He looked a little lost, and as she stepped closer to him, she offered him her hand. He looked at it for a moment, confused, until he gazed into her eyes and saw the kindness that she’d always hidden from him. With a smile, he accepted her hand, realizing he hadn’t touched anyone since he’d left home all those years ago. Part of him craved more.

Rey wondered if all firebenders were as warm as he was – or perhaps there wasn’t anything abnormal about his touch, and she was just starved from human contact. The hunger she saw in his eyes scared her a little, and she let go of him again, casting her eyes down.

“So… practice?” she proposed. “It’s handy that you’re a firebender – assuming we’ll only ever fight firebenders. It will give me an advantage in learning their weaknesses.”

He smiled. “I won’t make it easy on you. I’d like to see if you’re ready to take one on. I had an elaborate training as a teenager. I won’t back down.”

He’d expected her to humble herself and take a cautious approach, but her eyes only glistened dangerously as she elegantly summoned a wall of water in front of her.

“Neither will I, Ben,” she said with a smirk, and he grinned as he summoned two fireballs in his hands.

“Warning appreciated,” he said with a grin. “On the count of three.”


	7. Chapter 7

He was good. Insanely good – and – Rey hated to admit it – taking it easy on her.

Surprisingly, he was holding back constantly. He’d obviously benefitted from an education, while she had had to learn everything herself, without any help. And so, after a few hours of sparring, she was exhausted, and there were tears in her eyes as she hadn’t really found an advantage over him.

As soon as he noticed her tumultuous state of mind, he called off the exercise, saying he was getting tired, and as he walked to where his bedroll lay, he went into a crate and took some fruit, offering it to her.

Even if it was the middle of the night, she was hungry, and she walked over to him, accepting the gift. She made a mental note to get him something in return next time she saw him.

As he sat down on the bedroll, she sat down next to him, looking out over the cave and noticing how every now and then, the tide brought in some water before it retreated again. She watched the push and pull for a long while as she slowly munched on the juicy fruit without noticing that Ben was watching her.

“Who taught you?” he asked, realizing that though she was talented, she was a diamond in the rough. He had an inkling she might not have had a teacher at all.

“No one,” she replied honestly, not daring to look at him. “I taught myself.”

He was quiet for a few moments, mulling it over.

“That must have been difficult,” he acknowledged. “If you want, I can help? I know I’m not a waterbender, but with the war and everything, they taught us a lot – also about waterbending. Maybe I can be your teacher?”

As she looked to her side and saw his honest gaze, she wondered what she’d done to deserve that.

He smiled at her and suddenly reached out to wipe a tear from her face.

“No crying,” he said softly. “Or people might not believe you’re the Water Goddess.”

She chuckled softly at that, even if she still felt inadequate.

“I wish I was better,” she sighed. “If I can’t get an advantage on you, then how would I fare against a real enemy?”

“Don’t worry,” he consoled her. “We’ll get there. We still have time. And now that we have found each other, we can learn together.”

Her heart ached at those last words. _Now that they had found each other…_

Her mind was off – considering more than just fighting by his side – and as she looked at his lips, she realized she was looking at them far too long, imagining kisses she wanted him to give her.

She quickly looked away again, focusing on the water, but found that she wanted other things – things she wasn’t sure how to get. It was too soon. Sure, she’d seen his face around since she’d arrived a year ago – but they’d only been on talking terms for a day so far.

“If you want, you can stay until morning,” he offered, looking at the tide as it pulled deeper into the cave, but she immediately got up at those words. She didn’t want to imagine what such a stay would mean and forbade herself to consider it.

“I should be going, it’s too late,” she said sternly.

It was with regret that he watched her. “But what about the tide? You’ll get wet.”

“I’m a waterbender,” she reminded him with a small smirk. “I won’t even let the waves touch me.”

As she stepped down the elevated platform, he wanted to run after her – but he didn’t want wet shoes.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” he called after her, and before she disappeared from the cavern completely, she called: “I’ll see you after work, in the marketplace!”

Even though she left, and he missed her already, he still smiled. Maybe for once, they could even listen to Lor San’s story – together.


	8. Chapter 8

They sat by each other’s side as Lor San told a story about the kings of Ba Sing Se, and they ate their evening meal in silence, paying close attention to the history he told them.

Rey had even bought a treat for them both – some fresh pineapple that was imported from one of the nearby islands. It hadn’t been cheap, but she had wanted to impress him – and it had worked.

As they shared pieces of the delicious fruit together, nobody really noticed – except for Lor San who always looked out over the crowd, and who had suddenly noticed that they were sitting closer than ever. And when his story was over, they left together as well, walking close to one another – but not yet hand in hand.

Lor San figured it would only take a few days before they reached that stage. They had that look in their eyes that he had seen in plenty of lovers before.

She wasn’t in disguise as she walked along the beach with Kylo this time, figuring that there was no reason to train in disguise if it was highly unlikely they’d be discovered in his perfect hide-out.

“So why don’t you live behind the waterfall?” he wondered, his hands in his pockets as he walked next to her.

“It’s just too risky if I’m seen. Not to mention that it would also be suspicious if anyone saw me come out – completely dry because I bent the water to the side...”

He chuckled. “I guess that’s right. Luckily, by the time I have to leave the cave in the morning, it’s low tide again, so I don’t get soaked. But as you left last night, I was quite sad  - I have to admit.”

“Why?” she asked in surprise.

“Because I couldn’t follow you without getting wet feet!”

She laughed at that. “Why would you even want to follow me?”

“To give you a goodnight kiss!” he said teasingly, and she almost exploded from giddiness.

If he meant that – then that meant that her affection for him was mutual. She hoped with all her heart that it was, and blushed as she cast him a shy gaze.

“Maybe tonight,” she teased him back slowly, and she noticed how his cheeks turned red as well. His goofy smile made her stomach churn pleasantly, and she stroked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

As they continued walking, he distracted their confusing thoughts with talk of the approaching Kyoshi festival – and how he enjoyed having three days off in a row to watch all the entertainers and storytellers.

By the time they entered his cavern, they didn’t start by sparring. He asked her to show some of her moves – and he gave pointers about her stance, and about how she needed to be mindful of her breathing during her movements.

It had the instant effect that the control she had over the water became more fluent and easier – and he even mimicked some of her movements, even if for him, there was no bending involved.

“Keep your shoulders straight,” he reminded her, gently touching her shoulders, and her skin tingled at the sensation of his warm fingertips.

She was blushing again, instead of concentrating, and she closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to will herself into a state of focus.

“Now, when you fight me, don’t lose your cool. Don’t get too much into it – that doesn’t help with your breathing either – and don’t be too hard on yourself. Use the water as an extension of yourself, and don’t try to control it – it’s not about controlling it, it is about working in a team with it, do you get that?”

She nodded slowly, but not fast enough for him to be convinced that she truly got it.

“When I firebend,” he told her. “I don’t control the fire – I am the fire – and it is me. We’re one and the same. That’s what water should be to you. When you fully are your element, there are no limits to what you can achieve.”

He was beautifully poetic about it, and she stared at his lips again, a small smile on her face as she considered his words.

“I get it,” she assured him, closing her eyes as she tried to sense the water around her, and inspired by his words, she moved her hands elegantly through the air, bringing it all in around her, and he took a few steps back as he watched how she not only created a wall around her but also froze it in place, and he could hardly see her behind the ice.

“Rey?” he asked hopefully, and he saw her move behind the icy surface until she suddenly made the part between them melt, and a door-shaped opening appeared.

As he stepped into her little fortress of ice, he noticed there wasn’t much room for him to stand, and he was closer to her than ever as he watched how she gave her hideout an icy ceiling as she spun around in front of him, her hands turning elegantly as she created ice crystals in the frozen water above her.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, afraid to speak louder, and as she gazed up at the ceiling, she nodded in agreement.

“Not just the ceiling,” he said warmly, and she looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t been looking at the ceiling at all.

He was close enough to touch her face, and he did, his finger tilting her chin slightly upwards, though he didn’t dare to close the final distance between them.

He didn’t need to, for she had recognized his hungry gaze as it had rested on her lips, and with a small smile on her face, she stood on her toes as she sweetly pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Without hesitation, he welcomed her into his embrace, closing his arms behind her back again, leaning in so he could fully surrender to their kiss.

There were no words to describe it. Or maybe there were – wet, warm, gentle, sweet, caring… But what surprised them both the most was that their kiss felt like a home they’d never known they’d missed.

If all their lives their loneliness had been an agony they’d been unable to shake, then this kiss mended the pain that had cursed their hearts so long ago.

As they broke their kiss – there was no gloating – no giggling – no giddy glances exchanged between them. There was sadness in their eyes – but hopefully for the last time. Maybe they’d finally be able to shake it off now that they had found each other, and they went in for another kiss, a little fiercer this time as he pushed her against the icy wall and she tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him down to her level so she could deepen those kisses, and he moaned against her.

The sound of his moan startled her a little, and she pulled away slightly, her voice weak as she protested: “How am I ever going to learn to defend myself like this…”

“You don’t need to defend yourself from me,” he whispered in return, kissing her again, and this time she did chuckle against his lips.

“Not from you, from other invaders…”

“Please don’t let the Fire Nation spoil this fun for me,” he begged her before he placed a kiss to her neck, and she hummed in approval. “They’ve ruined so much already,” he added dryly.

She could agree to that, but still ducked underneath his arm, out of her little ice castle, and he soon followed after her, wanting her close again.

“I hardly know you,” she said, somehow feeling too inadequate to be in any sort of relationship.

“That can change,” he replied hopefully. “It will.”

He walked closer to her again, and when she didn’t pull back from the way he placed his hands on her hips, he pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek, and she chuckled as she let him, not sure what to do with all this affection and desire that she felt for him.

“I’m not sure it’s wise for me to stay…”

Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, and in his eyes, she saw his insecurities build.

“Why?” His lip trembled.

She frowned as a small smile tugged on her lip.

“It’s not you – you haven’t done anything wrong – far from it…”

His confused gaze caused her to smile fully at him, and she leaned in as she whispered: “Do you have any idea what I want to do to you right now?”

His eyes widened in shock before he looked at her in awe. The way she nearly undressed him with her eyes caused him to gulp nervously.

“Oh!” he said – completely at a loss for words.

“Oh – indeed,” she replied, smirking.

She didn’t know if she had the restraint to go about this in a normal way – unlike the affection-starved child she’d been – or still was.

“It’s me,” she assured him. “I don’t think it’s wise to stay in the cavern with you – I can’t focus – can we go out?”

He wasn’t entirely certain if he understood her, but he had an inkling why she was calling for some space – and he thought it was endearing. “Of course!”

He offered her his hand, and she took it with a smile.

“Let’s just head into town, shall we?” he proposed. “With lots of people present, you’re less likely to ravish me.”

She laughed. He wasn’t wrong.

“Brilliant. Let’s do that.”

It worked. As they walked through the streets, they talked – about work, their lives on Takodana, and their futures. And as Lor San sat in front of his hut and saw them pass, their hands intimately linked together, he smiled. It hadn’t taken them very long indeed.


	9. Chapter 9

The practice wasn’t easy.

The bending went fine – perfect, even. Rey was learning a lot in a very short time and getting stronger by the day.

What was the hardest was focusing on her powers instead of her boyfriend. Even when he wore his full Fire Dragon guise, she wanted to rip the tattered black robes off his body and do unspeakable things to him. Just the sound of his voice was enough to make her melt.

They often left the cavern at night to practice on deserted parts of the beach – and Rey was trying to waterbend gulfs large enough to swallow ships hole – like the legend of the Water Goddess. The problem was that she couldn’t do it very fast. It was hard drawing the water in, forcing it up high enough, and then becoming one with the tides to let it wash over anything.

It had been a month since they had started training together – and since they had almost instantaneously bonded and become inseparable – and she did not want to give up the practice that night. She wanted to create the perfect wave, large enough to protect their island – the beautiful Takodana that she didn’t want spoiled and set ablaze by the Fire Nation.

Kylo was getting tired, but she wasn’t ready to stop just yet, and so he stood nearby as he watched her try – again and again and again – her power increasing by the minute, her frustrated grunts getting louder, and her movements becoming more aggressive.

She wasn’t an elegant waterbender in that moment – she was an angry one – but strangely enough, he still found that beautiful. The way she moved resembled his style more than hers now, and as she was messing around with some movements, she shot her hands up together, much like he would when shooting a fireball, and he saw a large amount of water shoot up along with it, deeper into the ocean.

It was fascinating how she was using his moves for waterbending – and even more fascinating was how it seemed to work. Summoning a small flame in his hand, he elegantly moved his hands around, much like he’d seen her do when she had let water flow around her, from one palm to the other, and to his surprise, the gentle movement did not kindle the flame into a fiercer fire – but it played along with him, warm and beautiful and very exciting.

As he saw her fierce movements nearby, he stopped his little game though, just in time to see how she shot a massive amount of water from the ocean into the sky, only to have it crash down loudly on the water below.

He was about to cheer her on for her success, but the next moment, he saw how she faltered in her step, and he was just in time to catch her as she fell, dropping on his knees in the sand with her and immediately taking his mask off to look at her – his heart racing in mild shock.

“Rey?” he asked, trying to keep his voice soft despite his panic, looking at her painted face as she was barely able to keep her eyes open. “You did it,” he whispered gently. “Are you okay?”

“Tired,” was all she managed to say, and he was glad she was still able to talk and kissed the top of her head before he lifted her from the sand and carried her back to his cavern.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Well, that could have gone better…” Rey was frustrated with herself, hardly able to sit up straight as he had given her some jasmine tea – which he had brewed in his own hands. (There were definite advantages to dating a firebender.)

Every word she spoke was hardly articulated, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open.

“You overexerted yourself,” he said patiently, sitting close enough to her so she could lean against him, and she did. He put the back of his hand against her forehead, but luckily she wasn’t burning up. “I have to admit – the result was amazing. I think you’re getting close – to that massive wave that you’ve dreamt of creating.”

She was too tired to agree or even think about it, and drank a little bit more tea – but it wasn’t rejuvenating her to the point where she felt fit enough to get up and head home. Seeing how difficult it was for her even to hold the cup, he took it from her hands and put it down beside them.

“You can stay with me,” he offered carefully. “I wouldn’t feel well about sending you home like this. I’m not even sure you would make it without falling asleep halfway through the forest.”

Again, no argument from her side.

He assumed she would stay then, and left her side for a small moment.

He’d already taken off most of his outfit and took a bowl of water with some cloth to remove the white makeup from her face. Kneeling down in front of her, he gently started wiping it off – and she let him, her eyes tired as she gazed into his. He found it endearing and smiled at her.

As he noticed how she shivered slightly, he took his blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, and though she was hardly able to keep her head straight anymore, her lips did curl into a grateful smile, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“You know,” he said gently. “I wouldn’t mind you staying more often…”

She didn’t protest to that either, and he continued cleaning the rest of her face.

Secretly, he hoped she couldn’t see his blush – or that she was too tired to notice it really. “In fact, if you want to live here…” He hoped what he meant was clear from the dramatic pause that followed.

His timing wasn’t perfect. She was truly drained and didn’t say anything. He feared for a moment that he had overstepped her boundaries until he saw her nod – so slowly that he almost missed it.

A warm smile spread across his face, and he saw her lips tug up into one as well. With a relieved sigh, he tried to clear the red paint from them.

When he was done with removing all the paint from her face, he leaned in and gave her a little kiss on her lips. She saw it as her cue to close her eyes, and the moment he moved to sit next to her again, she fell asleep against him.

With a pleasant feeling in his stomach, he laid her down on his bedroll before he dimmed the burning torches and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her as he inhaled her scent. He could imagine worse ways to fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

She moved out the next day – after work. The couple that had been kind enough to let her stay on top of their rooftop didn’t complain – and neither did their eldest son, who claimed the small shed as his own then.

Fortunately, they only needed two trips to get her belongings out of there, and into Kylo’s cavern. They were both a little giddy and nervous about the significant change in their lives, and because Rey was still a little tired from exerting herself the day before, they didn’t practice that evening. Instead, they sat on the beach, enjoying the warm sun and the lovely view.

She rested her head against his shoulder, while he gently stroked her hand with his fingertips, soothing her after a few tiring days of work and exercise. They felt at peace – even if they knew that in the world around them, the Fire Nation was still eager to attack the Earth Kingdom and destroy their new-found home.

“Do you think there are more of us on this island?” Rey wondered.

“Hm?” Kylo didn’t quite follow her train of thought.

“More firebenders or waterbenders that have fled their previous lives to start over…”

He thought about it for a moment.

“Maybe. So many people who live here only came here in the past fifty years or so. There were no mines here before that time – and it’s only since the war started that people came here to both flee their own invaded islands, and to help the war effort. It’s not hard to imagine that we’re not the only ones hiding our true natures from the rest of the island.”

“Do you think there are any airbenders here – still alive?”

He grew quiet once more. “Not sure. Unlikely. The attack on their temples was brutal. But I can’t imagine the Avatar to have been found.”

“I heard a story once,” she whispered secretively. Even though no one was around, some things you just didn’t say out loud – even when you were alone. “That the Fire Nation has found the Avatar and captured him – and that they’ve kept him alive all those decades so that no new Avatar would be able to be born and oppose them.”

He chuckled, not believing that tale.

“Why are you laughing?” she demanded to know, not seeing why he couldn’t believe her story.

“Sweetheart… Speaking as a distant relative to the Fire Nation royals… I know that the Fire Lord has been obsessed with finding the Avatar for decades. If the Avatar had truly been captured, he would have given up on his search and relaxed about it. Most people in the Fire Nation think the Avatar is a fifty-year-old man now – and that he has lived in hiding all that while – honing his skills and ready to strike anytime now!”

Somehow, it relieved Rey to hear that. If the Avatar was alive somewhere, then so was hope. And as long as there was hope, she’d keep on fighting too. Maybe one day the Avatar would come to liberate them all.

“I believe you then,” she said with a brave smile, and he was surprised by how easy it had been to persuade her. As he looked at her in wonder, she noticed it, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked sweetly, and he leaned in to kiss her lips, to which she obviously did not protest.

When he broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Because I love you,” he whispered, and she felt her heart melt.

He was the sweetest – and she’d never cared more for anyone in her lifetime.

“I love you too,” she assured him, and he smiled at those words.

He wished he could tell her how much her affection meant to him – but he figured that she already understood. She had been as lonely as him, for a very long time. He did not need to tell her how dreadfully lonely he had been without her in his life – or how grateful he was for her kind presence each day. Now that they wouldn’t need to be alone for one more day in their lifetimes, he felt like maybe he had ended up here for a reason. Maybe it hadn’t just been the end of a string of bad luck. Maybe it wasn’t just a last resort. Maybe it was fate – and Rey made it all finally make sense.

Even if he hated what had happened to his mother and father, he started to hope that he still had a shot at happiness now, and he kissed her again – and again – and again… Until he carried her back to the cavern so that they could have all the privacy they needed as they explored each other – and so that he could show her the love she deserved, for she had become his everything, and he vowed to himself to never let her forget that.


	12. Chapter 12

The start of the Kyoshi Festival marked their first three months together, and they felt it was a cause for true celebration.

They fondly remembered their first kiss – and even more so their first night together.

They’d both been rather nervous, but so eager to please and very overwhelmed by emotion.

Though they hated to admit it, they’d both cried – more than they’d anticipated – but it had been happy tears for the most part. It had marked the end of an era of loneliness, darkness and cold – and now they felt light and giddy as they walked over the marketplace.

Everyone was dressed up as legends of the past – and so were they. Their Fire Dragon and Water Goddess outfits blended in perfectly with the rest of the crowd, and they marveled at the elaborate costumes some had made, while they enjoyed the great food and the dozens of storytellers and entertainers that had come to Takodana for them.

They weren’t afraid of being recognized. Their outfits were hardly the best around, and they didn’t really stand out among the wealthier costumes.

After they’d eaten, they wanted to go to Lor San, to see if he was about to tell of a new legend soon, but as they passed by a band that played wonderful music, they stopped for a while.

“Shall we dance?” Rey asked, extending her hand to him, but he hesitated.

“I never learned how to dance,” he said apologetically, and she saw the blush on his cheeks.

It wasn’t like she knew how to dance, but she wanted to try. Maybe her courage would inspire him to join her.

“How about I dance for you?” she suggested with a daring grin, and as he stood still and she began to sway to the rhythm, he was mesmerized for several moments. As his gaze glided over her body, loving how sensually she moved before him, he didn’t know if he was still in the mood for the festivities. But he also wasn’t going to stop Rey from dancing for him just yet.

With a lazy smile, he beheld her for several moments before he suddenly joined her, his hands on her hips while she bit her lip and put her hands on his neck.

Unfortunately, the bell at the top of the mountain suddenly rang, and the music immediately stopped. They reached for each other’s hands in an instant while they looked around.

“It’s the Fire Nation!”

People were shouting all around them, and it was chaos as most started to hurry off as fast as they could – some to get to safety – others to bring the fight to the beach.

Their hearts hammered in their chests as they looked at one another, and while Kylo wanted to lower his mask over his face, Rey stopped him to give him a brief kiss.

“For good luck,” she said softly, and he quickly kissed her back before he finally lowered the mask and they rushed to the beach. The earthbenders were hurling huge rocks at the massive Fire Nation vessel that was approaching them. Rey gulped at the sight. The approaching ship was large – perhaps even larger than any of the waves she’d been able to create – and it was heading closer.

“They’ll try and reach us with smaller boats,” Kylo told her. “If you can’t sink the big vessel, focus on the smaller ones.”

“They’re not close enough!” Rey protested while her voice trembled. She couldn’t do anything from where she was.

“Then bring us closer,” Kylo said calmly.

His voice was confident as he looked at her doubtful eyes. “I know you can! Just bring us closer on some ice. I’ll explode their steam engine. I can heat up their fire without them realizing it. They’ll think it was a traitor from the inside as long as we remain unseen.”

“Can I join you?”

They both whirled around at the sound of a familiar voice – and as they saw a man in a brown cloak stand a little further away, he lowered his hood.

“Lor San!” Kylo said in surprise, and the older man smiled in reply.

“It is time to bring these Legends to life,” he said wisely as he walked closer to them, staring at the ship behind them. “These monsters have terrorized us for long enough.”

“What legend will you be?” Rey wondered – doubting that an old man could actually be useful, but she didn’t want to voice her doubt to his face.

“No legend,” he replied with a chuckle. “Just an old storyteller… From a place that was destroyed by firebenders many decades ago.”

Rey and Kylo’s eyes widened at that confession, and with a little whirl of his fingers, he made the wind pick up his hood and cover his head again. They both gasped.

As their eyes lit up and they grinned widely, Rey and Kylo nodded to Lor San.

“It would be an honor, sir,” Rey said. “Let’s do this.”

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> If you wish to read more of my Reylo fanfictions, I'm currently working on a massive modern AU called The Only Exception - check it out.  
> Among my finished fanfics you'll find some shorter fics, among which The Chase (smutty), The Guitar Pick (modern AU fluff) and Dreamers (young Reylo fluff)
> 
> I also have some Legend of Korra (Korrlok) fanfictions and tons of Rumbelle ones. Check it out, and don't be shy! :-)


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